Fixing the blind spot, communication metrics need apt impact indicators

Evaluation needs nuanced ways to link to business impact, says our guest author.

Throughout my journey in the industry, the one resounding question that all communications professionals are fraught with, in simple words is - ‘how can we truly ascertain if the campaign has been impactful or effective?’

We are living in an age where data is oxygen, decisions around the medium, channel, vehicle and form are taken - to establish empirical evidence / tangible proof points is all centred on recorded data that substantiates every claim & progress. If it can’t be recorded it doesn’t exist!

External Communications is a significant and important air cover today that’s supporting business in reputational and category ownership & relevance. With that, the impetus on measurement has become a critical task. In Edward Deming’s words ‘if you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing.’ One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions.

ROI is key - and rightly so given the entire exercise of crunching data to ensure the right message is placed to the right audience through amplification on the right medium & platform, at the right time. Much has been said and designed on how organic, earned ‘share of voice’ can be elicited and what’s the best metric to quantify intangible assets such as ‘relationship’?

Dominant status to quantifiable business-oriented goals

Over centuries we have been witnessing an inflection point from where the world order changes. Our generation is perhaps seeing this at an ever-increasing rapid pace subjecting us to a volatile environment continuously. A global geo-political realignment coupled with multi-polar world order puts pressure on the leadership team to remain agile and constantly pivot depending on market sentiment. Today, senior management needs to keep a tab on every pound spent to reign in expenses and tighten the budget to stem losses and safeguard fragile profits.

This leads to heavier scrutiny of communications. Over the years, the industry has evolved from exposure numbers to media impressions. However, there needs to be a nuanced and sophisticated mechanism mapping the outcomes such as engagement levels to the action undertaken upon receiving the message.

As with any earned exercise perhaps the communications domain may not necessarily result in sales but will undoubtedly aid in analysing the efficacy of the message. There will be an increase in surveys and research to map the behavioural or perception change brought in by the communications program.

Discovering the true value of intangibles

The fundamental goal of any communication program is to evaluate evolving relationships with key constituencies and analyse the desired shift, resulting in anticipated action. Relationships in communication need to be ‘symmetrical’ which is beneficial to both the stakeholders involved. These need to be nurtured through interactive, open, and transparent communication with room to revolve any conflicting goals and viewpoints that each party may hold.

Certainly, there is a need to employ more nuanced and specialised measurement approaches. How can you define and put a value to product review? Can you determine policy shift through public affairs outreach? Such intangible aspects help bolster market reputation and sector leadership. There is a need for a standardised template across the communications industry that will help define and align measurement for all facets.

Redefining return on investment

The principle of communication is to tailor your message in a way that your intended stakeholder understands and acts on it. Hence, it is imperative that to build the exercise of PR for PR, we need to speak the language that the business leadership appreciates. If the C-suites need numbers our showcase needs to highlight those impact-based outcomes.

While no elixir can be a quick fix, the industry needs to engage and collaborate to showcase the total value of communications exercise encapsulating tangibles such as share of voice, impression to intangibles such as building advocates, enhanced reputation, a shift in stakeholder opinion etc.

It is only when the results of the output and outcome of strategic communications are well-defined and attains uniform industry standards, will the communications function earn a prominent seat at the table and enhance its role as a strategic function. However, the industry still seems to be fumbling when it comes to establishing such uniformity.

The industry is yet to get a grasp on measurement and evaluation as it continues to be the most pressing challenge of our times. Realising the importance of achieving this goal, next year will be exciting with new innovative developments and progress on putting a value on communications success. It’s only then that we will have more advocates chime in for PR such as Bill Gates who famously said “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR.”

The author is head of external communications, IPM India.